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,2. REPORT TYPE . Master of Military Studies Research Paper September 2010- April 2011

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The King is Dead: Regaining the Throne N/A The Current State of the Field Artillery, Core Competency Atrophy, and The Way Ahead Sb. GRANT NUMBER

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6. AUTHOR(S) Sd. PROJECT NUMBER

Major Julian T. Urquidez, US Army N/A

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I 14. ABSTRACT The demand for "boots on the ground" supporting counter-insurgency operations (COIN) in Iraq and Afghanistan, eight years of continuous in lieu of missions, and the US Army's transformation I modularity has had negative unintended consequences on the Field Artillery branch .. In conclusion, the once honed and trained field artillery, that silenced the Iraqi Army in 2003 is losing its ability to attract-and retain the best and brightest soldiers, NCOs, and Officers, train itself, and worst of all has lost the confidence of many maneuver commanders. Howev.er, to regain the thrown the.U.S. Army field artillery must regain its core . competencies, work to increase the number of fire brigades to one per division for a total often fires brigades, and work to restructure the MTOE reconsolidating the fire support elemel')t back into the fires battalion.

1S. SUBJECT TERMS The Current State of the Field Artillery, Core Competency Atrophy, and The Way Ahead

16. SECURITY CLASSIFICATION OF: 17. LIMITATION OF ABSTRACT uu

a. REPORT I b. ABSTRACT I c. THIS PAGE Unclass Unci ass Unclass

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Standard Form 298 (Rev. 8-98) Prescribed by ANSI-Std Z39-18

United States Marine Corps Command and Staff College

Marine Corps Uni1iersity 2076 South St~eet

·Marine Corps Combat Development Command Quantico, Virginia 22134~5068

MASTER OF MILITARY STUDIES

.TITLE:

THE KING IS DEAD:· REGAINING THE THRONE

:THE CURRENT STATE OF THE.FIELD ARTILLERY, CORE COMPETENCY ATROPHY, ANDTHEWAY AHEAD

AUTHOR:

MAJ JULL.t\N. T. URQUIDEZ

AY 10-11·

OralJ;>efensp;;. _ ·~~. em '":~~... . . Approyed: . J · , .

Date: . I . v "' I . '

DISCLAIMER

. THE OPINIONS AND CONCLUSIONS EXPRESSED HEREIN ARE THOSE OF THE INDNIDUAL STUDENT AUTHOR AND DO NOT NECESSARILY REPRESENT THE

VIEWS OF EITHER THE MARINE CORPS COMMAND AND STAFF COLLEGE OR ANY OTHER GOVERNMENTAL AGENCY .. REFERENCES TO THIS STUDY SHOULD

INCLUDE THE FOREGOING STATEMENT.

QUOTATION FROM, ABSTRACTION FROM, OR REPRODUCTION OF ALL OR ANY PART OF THIS DOCUMENT IS PERMITTED PROVIDED PROPER

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT IS MADE.

/ .

i

Executive Su~ary

· Title: The King is Dead: Regaining the Throne '

Author: Major Julian T. Urquidez, United States Army

Thesis: The demand for "boots on the ground" supporting counter-insurgency operations (COIN) in Iraq and Afghanistan, eight years of continuous 1n lieu of missions, and the US Army's transformation I modularity has had negative unintended consequences on the Field Artillery branch.

Dis.cussion: The field artillery more than any other branch in the US Army has been· marginalized following major combat operations .. On 09 April2003, President George W. Bush declared major combat operations over and the beginning of stability and support operations (SASO). The field artillery now found itself trying to eat soup with a knife. The once mighty

_ "King of Battle" who by all accounts delivered coordinated deadly fires that had a kinetic effect on the Iraqi Army, was now tasked to perform non-standard missions. The field artillery soon received multiple in lieu ofmissions including: collection of enemy ammunition, training the Iraqi civil defense corps, convoy security I escort, conducting maneuver patrols, staffing conimand posts, commanding forward operating bases (FOBs), safeguarding facilities, transporting logistics, civil affairs operations, advising and assisting provincial reconstruction teams, conducting information operations, and buildlng partnerships with both host nation and . coalition forces. However, despite the overwhelming success, artillerymen and artillery u:i:rits alike have suffered a great degree of core competency atrophy and currently may be unprepared

. for future high intenSity conflict (HIC).

Conclusion: In conclusion, the once honed and trained field artillery, that silenced the Iraqi . Army in 2003 is losing its ability to attract and retain·the best and brightest soldiers, NCOs, and Officers, train itself, and worst of all has lost the confidence of many maneuver co'mmanders. However, to regain the thrown the U.S. Army field artillery must regain it~ core competencies, work to increase the number of fire brigades to one per division !or a total of ten fires brigades, and work to restructure the MTOE reconsolidating the fire support element back into the fires battalion. We must not forget that when states focus their armies on doing nothing but counterinsurgency and world constabulary missions excluding conventional warfare strategic failure can result as did the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) in 2006.. There is more at stake than. losing the moniker "The King ()fBattle", at. stake is losing the ability to maneuver and fire which in tum allows our Army to validate its existence defending the American way of life and winning our nation's war. The American way oflife does not depend on the field artillery, but the ability to defend the American way oflife does.

ii

Table of Contents

DISCLAIMER ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ _

EXECUTIVE SlJMMARY·-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------~--11

TABLE OF CONTENTS ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------111 I

PREFACE·------------------------------------------------'----------------------------------------------------------------------------·iv

INTRODUCTION ...........................................• -----------------------------------------------------------------·-·1

CURRENT ISSUES FACING THE FIELD ARTILLERY COMMUNITY ____________________ _3

US ARMY M9DULAR TR.J\NSFORMATION AND ITS EFFECT ON THE FIELD ARTILLERY _________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 9

EFFECT OF MULTIPLE IN LIEU OF MISSIONS IN SlJPPORT OF COIN OPERATIONS ON THE FIELD AR TILLER y_ ______________________________ : _________________________________ l5

REGAINING THE THRONE: THE WAY AHEAD ________________________________________________________ _17

CONCLUSION _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 20

ENDNOTES ............................................................................................ ______________________________ 22

BIBLIOGRAPHY _________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 27

ANNEX 1: 11 FIRES BRIGADE CONCEPT ___________________________________________________________________ _30

iii

Preface

As a career Field Artilleryman I have served twice in Iraq and once in Afghanistan

accumulating over 28 months deployed in support of Major Combat Operations (MCO). I feel it

is my professional duty to highlight the atrophy in the Field Artillery branch and then to focus on

how the "King of Battle" can regain proficiency in its core competencies. Over the past eight

years the Field Artillery more than any other branch in the U.S. Army has suffered an identity

crisis. The effects of modularity and supporting counter-insurgency operations (COIN) have had

unintended deyastating effects ona.once strong and vibrant branch. The youth of the Field

Artillery; the young company grade officers and non-commissioned officers, are the future of the

' , Field Artillery. These future Field Artillerymen should be applauded for .their magnificent .

-performance qver the past eight years on the battlefield performing both standard ~d non-

standard missions. These young Field Artillerymen have been dubbed pent-athletes because they

have performed far more non-standard artillery missions in support ofMCO than artillery

specific missions. Modularity and multiple "in lieu of" missions has created the perfect storm

that has marginalized today' s U.S. Army Field Artillery branch.

-I am fortunate to have had the opportunity to deploy in support of major combat

. . . operations and perform as a· field artillerymen and also deploy and perform non-standard

missiqns as well. As a junior Captain I deployed from March 2003 to November 2003 as part of

2nd Battalion 18th Field Artillery Regiment. During that rotation in support of OIF I I had the

opportunity to serve initially as the Battalion Reconnaissance Officer and then the< Battalion

Assistant Operations Officer (AS3). Moreover, during that rotation I had the great opportunity to

· serve as the Officer in Charge (OIC) of a coalition of cadre training the Iraqi Civil Defense

Corps (I CDC). I then again deployed in suppmt of OIF III-OIF N to Iraq in January 2005 and

iv

. ' redeployed back to Ft. Bragg, NC January 2006. During that rotation I had the pleasure to serve

as LTG John R. Vines Deputy Secretary to the Combined and JointStaff(SCJS) while assigned

to Multi-National Corps-Iraq. Following that deployment I was selected to command Bravo

Battery, 3rd Battalion 2ih Field Artillery Regiment and deployed Bravo Battery in support of

, I .

OEF from August 2007 through April2008. During that rotation I had the privilege of.

delivering fires in support of coalition forces and defeating high value targets. Following

command LTC Samuel Ashley, 3rd Battalion 3rd Special Forces Group commander, provided me

the opportunity of a lifetime to serve as the Fire Support Officer for 3rd Battalion 3rd Special

Forces Group. More recently, I was selected to manage all U.S. Anny field artillery capfains and . .

then concurrently selected to serve as the executive officer to the Deputy Director Officer

Personnel Management Directorate (OPMD). While serving in that capacity I had the unique

opportunity as a junior officer to witness how Anny policy is written and how the Anny truly

functions.

·For a U.S: Anny Officer, attending the Marine Corps Command and Staff College is a

once'in alifetime opportunity. I would be remiss ifi did not thank COL Mark Lessig, Director

OP:MD, and COL Jeffrey Leib, Deputy OPMD, for their unwavering support, leadership, and ·

. ' . opportunity to compete for this amazing oppo~ty. Moreover, I would like to publicly thank

COL Jeffrey Lieb for the opportunity to visit and interview senior Anny leaders at Anny Human

Resource Command.

Furthermore, I would like to thank my master of military studies mentor Dr. E. J~

Erickson and faculty advisor LtCol Patrick Simon for their personal inentorship and the support

needed to visit both Carlisle Barrack, P A (USA WC) and Ft Knox, KY (AHRC) to research and

develop as_ an Officer.

v

' Lastly and most importantly I would like to thank my wonderful wife, Emily, for her

unwavering support She never complained once while I read or researched and was always ·

there with a fresh cup of coffee and somethlng to make me smile when I had no ide~ there was

anything to smile about. I would· also like-to thank my son J.P. for his support. He was always.

there when dad needed help in any way, he is my legacy. To my young daughter Kaitlyn, thank

you for your smiles and the joy you have brought to my life.

Vl

·No branch of the Army has suffered a greater identity crisis than the Field Artillery, as a result . of transformation, COIN-centric operations and the non-standard manpower demands of OJFIOEF. The once mighty "King of Battle" has been described by one of its own officers as a "dead branch walking." Now the Army is beginning to see real consequences in our ability to integrate fires with maneuver- an important capability for both COIN and high intensity conflict (HIC). In fact one could argue that speed and accuracy counts for as much, if not more, in COIN as in HIC. We believe that it's urgent that we take another look at the structure of this important combat arm. 1

COL MacFarland, COL Shields, and COL Snow (2008)

Introduction

The Field Artillery branch earned its nickname "The IGng of Battle" for the massive

amount of firepower, destruction, and its decisive kinetic effect on the battlefield. The IGng is

and will always be anchored in mathematical computation and the ability to adapt, adopt, and

lead in technical innovation. The "IGng of Battle" traces its roots in adaptability to 1620 when

King Gustavus Adolphus of Sweden implemented revolutionary changes to the field artillery in

its organization and mobile tactics, and Frederick the Great of Prussia established the importance

of massing fires against the enemy.2 Furthermore, at the conclusion of World War II General

GeorgeS. Patton, an Annor officer, said "I do not have to tell you who won the war. You know,

the Artillery did."3 While General Patton could at times be known for his pompous attitude and

stubbornness, his appreciation for the "IGng of Battle" was sincere because of its desired

decisive effects on the enemy. The U.S. Army Field Artillery in 1989 was comprised of two

hundred and eighteen battalions and by 1999 had been reduced to one hundred and forty one

battalions.4 Currently in 2011 only 61 tactical field artillery battalions remain on active duty.5

More recently, during major combat operations (MCO) in Operation Iraqi Freedom the field

artillery delivered nearly 64,000 projectiles in support of overthrowing Saddam Hussein's

regime. 6 In less than a month the US Anny and Marine Corps field artillery had delivered

64,000 projectiles with speed, accuracy, and lethality.

1

The Field Artillery branch, more than any other branch in the US Army has suffered core .

competency atrophy following MCO. On 09 April2003, President George W. Bush declared

MCO over and stability and support operations (SASO) to begin. The field artillery now found

itself trying to eat soup with a knife. The once mighty "King of Battle" who by all accounts

delivered coordinated deadly fires that had a kinetic effect on the Iraqi Army, was now tasked to

perfonn non-standard missions.7 The field artillery soon received multiple in lieu of missions

including: collection of enemy ammunition, training the Iraqi civil defense corps, convoy

security I escort, conducting maneuver patrols, staffing command posts, commanding f~rward ·

operating bases (FOBs), safeguarding facilities, transporting logistics, civil affairs operations,

advising and assisting provincial reconstruction teams, conducting information operations, and

building partnerships with both host nation and coalition forces. While these "in lieu of''

missions have contributed immensely to the United States success in the Global War on Terror

proving again that the field artillery and its field artillerymen are versatile and can succeed on

any field of battle. General Odiemo in his interview with the FA Journal states this the best8

You are the Army's ultimate "Pentathletes" with your leadership, flexibility, agility, adaptability and attitude toward mission success. You execute many diverse missions in multiple warfighting functions very well. As a branch, you are involved at every level of Army operations, from the company to the corps levels, giving you a comprehensive perspective of fires and maneuver. As captains, you work at the battalion level, as majors at the brigade level and as lieutenant colonels at the division level - gaining experience and expertise at one level above your rank. You understand effects at all levels and how they affect the range of military operations- tremendous value added to the Army. As Artillerymen, you should be very proud ofwhat you have accomplished.9

Despite the overwhelming success, artillerymen and artillery units alike have suffered a great

degree of core competency atrophy and currently may be unprepared for future high intensity

conflict (HIC). Colonel Samuel R. White, a distinguished Field Artillerymen writes, 10

2

Changes created by persistent conflict, the ru1anticipated effects of modularity. and the Artillery's expanded skill sets have placed a strain on the Artillery force. The Artillery is "out of balance" and is not postured for the future-there are capability gaps in the formation. Eliminating a senior Artillery headquarters relationship and responsibility has created inadequate training and readiness oversight (TRO) for the artillery and fires system within the brigade combat teams (BCTs). In addition, a combination of reduced force structure and piecemeal commitments of fires brigades into the current fight has left insufficient force Field Artillery headquarters (FF A HQ) to support divisions and corps.11

The mission of the Field Artillery is to, "deliver and integrate lethal and non-lethal fires

to enable joint and maneuver commanders to dominate their operational environment across the

spectrum of conflict."12 Colonels MacFarland, Shields, Snow, each former Brigade Combat

Team (BCT) commanders, combined efforts to co-author a white paper distributed to the Chief

of Staff of the Army, Vice Chief of Staff ofthe Army, and Army G3/5/7 in which they

communicated their concerns over the Field Artillery's alarming degradation of core

competencies. They wrote "as BCT commanders we have watched the deterioration of the Field

·Artillery branch with growing alarm. We are former maneuver commanders who recognize the

importance ofhaving reliable, fast, and accurate fire support and wish to provide the Army's

leadership with a "customer's perspective" on the issue."13 This analytical paper will focus on

the issues facing the field artillery community, the effects of transformation and modularity, the

current state ofthe Field Artillery, the current Field Artillery Campaign Plan, and the Way

Ahead. The demand for "boots on the grom1d" supporting coru1ter-insurgency operations

(COIN) in Iraq and Afghanistan, eight years of continuous "in lieu of missions", and the US

Army's transformation I modularity has had negative unintended consequences on the Field

Artillery branch.

3

Current Issues facing the Field Artillery Community

With each passing month that we continue to let these perishable skills atrophy and lose our expert practitioners, we are mortgaging not only flexibility in today 's fight, but our ability to fight the next war as well. 14 . .

COL MacFarland, Shields, and Snow (2008)

In the article, "Let's Build an Army to Win All Wars" written by Dr. Gian P. Gentile in

2009, he explains, "The Anny's new and most important doctrinal manuals confirm that fighting

as a core competency has been eclipsed in the importance and primacy by the function of

nationbuilding."15 Dr. Gentile is eluding to the fact that he believes that the US Anny is

concentrating excessively on COIN and to the detriment of preparing to deploy in conventional

warfare. Does this theory have any basis or is this the product of a dinosaur that cannot see that

in the 21st century the probability conventional is low at best? His critics would argue that the

need for a large trained standing conventional force is not necessary. This could however be no

further from the truth. The Department of Defenses (DOD) mission is, ''to provide the military

forces needed to deter war and to protect the security of our country."16 Furthermore, the DOD

also articulates that the DOD is a war-fighter first and as such, has no peer; however this means

that while the DOD is a warfighting entity they must achieve a balance in which DOD can deter

and provide humanitarian assistance, peacekeeping, and disaster relief. 17 Secretary of Defense

Robert Gates argued in 2009 that, given the range of future threats the United States faces, its

military must ''balance".18 The balance the Secretary of Defense described the balance between

proficiency in conventional capabilities and developing COIN and irregular warfare capabilities.

These defense capabilities have a supporting relationship and both pillars that allow the United

States Department ofDefense to deter, project power, and protect our national interest.

Secretary Gates writes, "to truly achieve victory as Clausewitz defined it-attaining a political

4

objective-the U.S. military's ability to "kick down the door" must be matched by its ability to

clean up the mess and even rebuild the house afterward."19

So what does this have to do with the current issues facing the Field Artillery? This has

everything to do with the current issues facing the Field Artillery. The Field Artillery is one of

those tools ofnational power that the Secretary of Defense is talking about being out of balance.

Secretary Gates, reminds the American public to remember the nation-state and that United

States still has to contend with the security challenges posed by the military forces of other

countries.2° Even more relevant to this analytical paper is the Secretary's quote, "As a result of

the demands of Afghanistan and Iraq, ground forces have not been able to stay proficient in

specialties such as field artillery in the Army.'m

U.S. Army Field Artillery must rebalance itself and be prepared for persistent HIC or

irregular warfare and must remain a dominate provider of lethal and non lethal effects allowing

the joint and maneuver commander to dominate the operating enviromnent. However, the

Combat Training Centers (CTCs) 2008 were results highlighted in the white paper entitled "The

King and 1: The Impending Crisis in Field Artillery's ability to provide Fire Support to

Maneuver Commanders" and identified in detail the Field Artillery's atrophy.22 The following

list identifies "The King and I' s" alarming results:

1. Fires Annex only produced in 20% of rotational unit's Operational Orders (OPORD) 2. No Fires net is maintained and if there is one, it is not monitored. 3. 90% of fire supporters are serving outside of their Military Occupational Specialty

(MOS) 4. 90%+ of available fire supporters are uncertified 5. Counterfue is seldom executed 6. Inability to fire plan prevents effective Close Air support (CAS) application 7. Most cannon platoons have fired "out of safe" if not prevented by observer controller

(OCs) . 8. Leaders no longer understand the need to calibrate or use meteorological data (MET).

The culture of relentlessly pursuing accurate fires is eroding.

5

9. The brand new second lieutenant is usually the most competent frre direction officer in the battalion (BN)

10. The entire sensor to shooter chain is broken-Fires Battalion appear unable to fix the Forward Observer problems23

These CTC observations not only alarmed senior Field Artillery leaders, but also made a

statement well heard by Senior Army officials. Furthermore, the document also drew attention

to the fact that most artillery units have passed the point in which they have the ability to train

themselves without external support because the majority of the artillery units have been

conducting multiple in lieu of missions or COIN related mission in support of the current :fight.

Also annotated in this report was the fact that due to modularity, Fires Battalions that are now

organic to maneuver BCTs have no 0-6 senior leader or Force Field Artillery Headquarters in

their chain of command to provide the battalion training readiness and oversight (TRO). Prior to

transformation and modularity Division Artillery (DIV ARTY) would have provided the TRO for

all :field artillery battalions providing frre support to maneuver brigades within its respective

division. Because of transformation and modularity this responsibility now lays in the hands of

the BCT commander, a maneuver commander without in depth fire support experience. In their

observation the Fires Battalion commander does not have the inherent ability to train, coordinate

resource, nor do they have the manpower to conduct external evaluations. Colonel Michael J.

Hartig, the senior fire support officer at the National Training Center from 2007 to 2008, in an

unpubHshed monograph The Future of the Field Artillery also identifies two main reasons for the

degradation of core competency skill sets?4

One is that Fires Battalions, as well as :fire supporters, have been used primarily to fill nonstandard missions during their previous deployments into theater. The second reason is that under modularization the responsibility for fire support training rests with maneuver COllllnanders who are neither trained

. nor resdurced to perfonn these tasks25

6

Another issue facing the field artillery is the fact that once an artillery unit receives a

nonstandard mission the unit stops training core artillery tasks to perform its newly assigned non-

doctrinal tasks. On the surface this makes sense, however; in this protracted war the field

artillery is now being led by a corps of Field Artillerymen that have plenty of combat experience,

but may have never fired a round in support of maneuver troops. For example, a second

lieutenant that was commissioned in 2003 could now be a major (battalion operations officer) in

an artillery unit and have never fired a round. How is this possible? Many artillerymen served

their company grade time in a fires battalion that received a maneuver mission. These fiel.d

artillerymen are being promoted and rightly so, but without the needed skill set to train a fires

battalion or field artillery battalion. The two most perishable skill sets in the fires system are fire

direction and fire support. However, how likely is it that a Battalion led by combat hardened,

war decorated artillerymen, without essential Field Artillery skills will be trained? This new

paradigm leaves a Fire Battalion at times leaning on the newly commissioned 2LT to train the

Battalion and reintroduce the five principles of accurate predicted fire: accurate target location

and size, accurate firing unit location, accurate weapon and ammunition data, accurate MET, and

accurate computational procedures. This new paradigm is the reason why many maneuver

commanders are losing their confidence in Fires units to provide timely and accurate fires. Has

this new paradigm gone unnoticed? The answer is no and this question was addressed in 2009

by Brigadier General Ross Ridge, the Chief of the Field Artillery, in the supporting plan entitled

"The Return of the King,"26 in which he writes:

"The Return of the King" was developed to address many of the problems plaguing our soldiers and focused on rebuilding the field artillery experience base, re-establishing training capacity, and restoring senior field artillery · .leader oversight of the fire support soldiers in the maneuver units. We have seen a considerable degree of improvement by our soldiers and proficiency within the artillery fmmations since this initiative was implemented. We

7

continue to work closely with the BCT and maneuver Battalion commanders to further address readiness and manning concerns. We still have much to do to fully bring back the competence, confidence and prestige of the Field Artillery force within our Army. 27

Field artillery units must inevitably find the balance needed to win the war we are in and

continue to train core competencies to high standards. By training and regaining our ability to

integrate lethal and non-lethal effects on target we can regain our reputation for excellence and

''The King ofBattle".

Manning is also a recurring issue the Field Artillery must contend with to once again

become a vibrant branch. On the enlisted side, the Field Artillery is a success story and the

branch is manned at more than 100%. However, on the commissioned officer side, the story is

not the same. Across all branches in the U.S. Army CPT attrition is on average 10%, however

the field artillery branch loses 13 % of its CPTs.28 Without the Army's stop loss policy the '

Army in 2008 would have lost almost 17% of field artillery Captains.29 So why do Field Artillery

Captains leaye the Army at a greater rate than their peers? According to LTC Ben Mathews, the

Field Artillery Branch Chief, Field Artillery Captains leave the Army because of the lack of job

satisfaction. 30 More plainly stated, these officers did not volunteer to become truck drivers,

logisticians, military police, infantrymen, or anything other than Field Artillerymen. Only adding

to this frustration is the fact that most Field Artillery Captains have deployed to combat once and

are going to deploy again outside of their MOS. Furthermore, most of these Captains have not

been afforded the opportunity to perform more than one job in a Battalion due to operational

tempo (OPTEMPO) and may still be serving in the same position that they served in as a

Lieutenant. Field Artillery Lieutenant Colonel (LTC) attrition is also a growing concern. As

briefed byBtigadier General Ross Ridge, the Chiefofthe Field Artillery, at the 2009 Fires

conference held at Ft Sill, OK, "FA LTCs are leaving the Army at an average of 14.6% a full2%

8

higher than the Army average."31 According to LTC Andrew Gainey who served as the Field

Artillery Branch LTC career manager, Field Artillery LTCs decide to leave the Anny for a

myriad ofreasons. He expressed that the leading causes of attrition were due to the lack of job

satisfaction from working outside ofthe traditional13 series MOS, lack of opportunity to

command at the 0-6 tactical level, and multiple recurring deployments.32 LTC Gainey also

explained that due to the shortage of field artillery LTCs the field artillery branch does not have

the ability to man division and corps-level joint fire cells (JFCs) with tier one offi.cers.33

US Army Modular Transformation and it's Effect on the Field Artillery

As Artillerymen, you all coordinate and synchronize our non-lethal fires and are thus you are more important now than ever in this fight, and I believe you will ultimately determine our success in achieving our political and military objectives abroad. 34

Lieutenant General William B. Caldwell (2008)

Even prior to General Shinseki, the Chief of Staff of the Army's (CSA), retirement in .

June of 2003 the Secretary of Defense, Donald Rumsfeld, decided what the Anny needed a was a

change to the institution with an expeditionary mindset.35 Although, Anny transformation had

been set in place for ahnost a decade the Army was institutionalized and unwilling to transform.

Now, with General Shinseki out of the way, Secretary Rumsfeld selected retired General Peter

Schoomaker, a Special Forces operator with an expeditionary attitude ready to move the Anny

into the next generation. The change the Secretary was looking for was an Anny that was

expeditionary and could provide geographic combatant commanders with Anny brigades that

were self-sustaining and could be universal plug and play modular brigades. To meet the

increasing need for forces in Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF) and Operation Enduring Freedom

(OEF) the Army would have to grow almost by 30,000 soldiers, which led to the Anny growing . .

to forty-eight BCTs.

9

The Army has transformed; Donald Rumsfeld is no longer the Secretary of Defense, and

General Peter Schoomaker is no longer the CSA and the Field Artillery is now feeling the

unintended consequences of transformation and modularity. The most dramatic change with

unintended consequences to the Field Artillery was its re-organization of field artillery battalions

now organic to BCTs I loss ofTRO for Fires Battalion, and loss of fifteen 0-6level commands·

including Division Artilleries: These Field Artillery Battalions would have been organic to the

DIY ARTY which was tasked with the TRO for each of the Field Artillery Battalions with

habitual relationship .to maneuver brigades within an ArnlY Division. These Field Artillery

Battalions that are now organic to BCTs have been renamed to Fires Battalions and their

Modification table of organization and equipment (MTOE) has been reflected with changes due

to modularity. Legacy Field Artillery units were comprised of three firing batteries with six

artillery tubes per battery. However, due to modularity Fires Battalion now consist of two firing ·

batteries with eight guns and no traditional service battery. This change was completed to match

the new BCT concept in which the BCT now has two maneuver battalions rather than three

maneuver battalions. However, this change has led to a 40 percent decrease in the opportunity to

command a battery in a Fires Battalion along with the possibility of command dropping from

five· opportunities to three. Even more alarming is that although the modular BCTs only have

two maneuver battalions, BCT formations now include an improved cavalry I reconnaissance

squadron which could in evidently need a dedicated. indirect fires support platform that is now

not in the brigade due to the loss of the third firing battery in the organic Fires Battalion.

Another alarming change due to modularity is the reorganization of the legacy fire

support element (FSE) which was organic to the legacy Field Artillery Battalion. The fire

support element was comprised of all the fire support soldiers (13F) and officers that were

10

needed to provide support to the habitually supported brigade with fire supporters. These fire

support soldiers and Officers are now assigned to maneuver units and do not have any

relationship with the Fires Battalion that provides their fire support. These soldiers and officers

have no senior Field Artillery leader to provide training oversight or experience. This change

may seem insignificant, however; analysis from the Combined Training Centers (CTCs) would

argue other wise. In an unpublished monograph written by the senior fire support trainers at

Joint Readiness Training Center (JRTC) and the National Training Center (NTC) in which they

document that 90% of enlisted. and corrunissioned fire support personnel are tasked by the

maneuver commander at the echelon they are now assigned to perform mission outside of their

fire support duties. 36 Supporting this argument is the white paper "The King and I" already

mentioned in this analytical analysis in which the former BCT commanders write,

"modularization places responsibility for fire support training on maneuver commanders who are

neither trained nor resourced to perform these tasks.37 Bottom line up front, the system is not

working and the erosion of the core fire support competencies has not gone unnoticed to senior

artillery and maneuver commanders. While maneuver corrunanders have enjoyed having larger

formations with multifaceted soldiers, the field artillery soldiers have lost their once honed skill

and now their fire support skills must be re-blued.

If these fire support soldiers and Officer are assigned to a maneuver brigade and not

training on fire support tasks than what are they doing? Brigade fire support officers (FSOs) are

leading non-lethal effects planning teams, serving as the SS future operations officer, lead

planners, and special project officers. This leaves the most senior officer in the fire support

system doing everything but fire support and the trend continues to the last private in the chain of

fire support. 90% Non-Commissioned officers (NCO) and soldiers continuously fi1i.d

11

themselves doing everything but fire support. 38 Again this azimuth only points to core

competency atrophy. When a private or junior soldier learns his MOS and then is never afforded

the opportunity to work in that MOS until he or she is an NCO, the level occupational specialty

will not be there when it is needed. The United States Marine Corps is also facing this issue with

their fire supporters. In the 2008 Semi-Annual and Incident report submitted to the commanding

officer of the Marine Artillery Detachment at Ft Sill, OK, Forward Observers (FO) procedures

and target location are a serious area of concern; noting that the procedures and skills within

those two areas are degraded as a result of inexperienced Liaison Officers (LNOs) and chiefs

who are unable to properly give guidance to maneuver units on the capabilities of artillery. 39

According to COL Michael J. Hartig, the single most evident flaw in the reorganization

of the fires battalion in the BCT is that the Fires Battalion commander is not the direct fire

support coordinator (DSFSCOORD) to the brigade commander.40 Doctrinally the position is a

Lieutenant Colonel position however, the position is currently filled with a major usually a

Command and Staff graduate waiting to work in the fires battalion as the operations officer or

the Battalion executive officer.41 The fires battalion commander now only has a commander to

commander relationship and has lost the ability to be the brigade commander's lethal and non­

lethal fires support coordinator. Other problems with tllis system arise when fire supporters from

across the BCTs are untrailled or need to be trained. The fires battalion commander and

Command Sergeants Major used to be charged with the responsibility of developing and training

all field artillerymen across the brigade, however since the fire supporters are not assigned to the

fires battalion the battalion leadership does not have the authority to task or the responsibility to

train these soldiers, NCOs, and officers. This has undermined the fires battalion commander's

ability to cross level or even provide career enhancing opportullities to soldiers, Non-

12

commissioned officers, and officers. However, due to modularity it is not unheard off and is

even prevalent that the only field artillery officer to know the fires battalion commander is the

BCT fire support officer (FSO) who is waiting for the opportunity to transition to the Fires

Battalion. While this is the current answer and is doctrinally correct, not many, if any maneuver

eommanders like the current system. For example, at Ft Hood, Texas on 2 September 2010

Major General Dan Allyn, 1st Cavalry Division Commander, hosted the First Team Fire Support

Conference and said, "the importance of having a well trained fire support element and its ability

to be a decisive combat element on the battlefield is invaluable."42 This small change to doctrine

and MTOE has had severe negative unintended consequences marginalizing the fire support

system.

Transformation and modularity have also had a huge impact to the lack of field artillery

officer development. Specifically, company grade and junior field grade officer would have been

mentored in the legacy system by a field artillery colonel who would have commanded the

DIV ARTY. However, due to modularity ten DIV ARTYs were deactivated along with four

Corps Artillerys (CARTYs) leaving no force field artillery (FFA) Headquarters or Corps artillery

headquarters to fill both the TRO and FF A roles. While these headquarters were removed from

the Army structure during transformation, the requirement for their roles still exists and has not

been filled and a replacement capability has not been developed.43 In the past, s.enior Field

Artillerymen were in command ofDIV ARTY s and they would provide the TRO ensuring that

the fire support system was trained in their core tasks, resourced correctly, and most importantly

there to mentor the future of the Field Artillery. The assumption that BCTs would provide the

necessary TRO to the Fires Battalions has been proven to be a myth. Colonel(R) Samuel R.

White, writes in the 2009 bulletin for U.S. Field and Air Defense Artillerymen,44

13

These capability gaps are beginning to have consequences across the operational force. Observations from the combat training centers and a recent Rand study on core skills competency reveal a marked decrease in fore support proficiency within BCTs. BCT and division commanders highlighted the lack of an oversight and training capacity for Fires Battalions as the key contributing factor to the loss of proficiency in Fires Battalions and the key component in rebalancing the Field Artillery. 45

Colonel White also mentions that the majority of divisions while deployed are ma.J].aging up to

seven BCTs and would like a FF A to manage and synchronize the lethal and nonlethal fires

across the division's fonnation.46

As mentioned previously, the U.s: Army Field Artillery lost thirteen active component

level commands and four CARTY commands due to transformation and modularity. However,

this begs the question what did the field artillery retain? The answer is that the field artillery

retained only six 0~6 level commands, with a loss of 60% of the 0~6 level conunand

opportunities. The loss of these conunands has been devastating to the health of the branch.

Colonel MacFarland and his peers write,

There are only six artillery brigade commands left in the whole Active Army. A branch with a built -in glass ceiling is not likely to retain or attract the best and the brightest. If it hasn't happened already, FA accessions will begin to decline as well. Not iong ago, artillery was one of the most sought after branches for the top graduates of West Point. Today, it is one of the easiest branches to get into 4 7

The Army does continue to publicize that Field ArtiHerymen can compete to command any one

of the forty-eight BCTs. However, to date no Field Artillery Colonel has been selected to

command a BCT or has even been selected as an alternate, but many Field Artillery Colonels

have been selected to command U.S. Army Garrisons and Training Support Brigades. Colonels

James hunan and Michael Gould, both former Field Artillery Branch Chiefs, highlight in their

article "Increasing the Flow Plugging the Holes-Addressing FA Manning Challenges "48 that one

of the most significant challenges affecting the FA-and the one that may be talked about the

14

most~is the lack of 0-6 level commands and subsequently, opportunities to be selected as a

general officer. In the 2010 unpublished monograph, "The Effect of Modularity on the Field

Artillery Branch "49 Colonel Noel T. Nicolle examines the number of Field Artillerymen serving

as general officers in 2003 and then again examines the General Officer Public Roster for those

Field Artillery serving as general officers in 2008. The numbers are not only alarming, but also

paint a gloomy picture for the future of the Field Artillery representation in the flag ranks. In

2003 the number of basic branch Field Artillery general officers serving by grade was 22% for

General, 12.5% for Lieutenant General, 10% for Major General, and 10% for Brigadier

General. 5° The 2008 General Officer Public Roster results highlighted much different

percentages, 7% for General, 10.9% for Lieutenant General, 12% for Major General, and 5% for

Brigadier General. 51 This decrease in Field Artillery officers serving in flag officer billets

clearly demonstrates that the loss of 0-6 level command opportunities has negatively affected

the possibility for selection to serve as general officer.

Effect of multiple in lieu of Missions in support of COIN Operations on the Field Artillery

The artillerist of the I 0111, I f 1

\ and 131h Marines found that they were no .longer employing their

as Marine Corps doctrine postulated, but instead were the well souls that provided personnel and units, up to Battalion strength, for any and all nonstandard mission that were required. 52

Major Michael D. Grice (2008)

Research conducted in early 2010 by Major Daniel C. Gibson, while attending the USMC

Command and Staff College, demonstrates that the after seven years of persistent low intensity

conflict Field Artillery units are continuously conducting in lieu of missions. Major Gibson

produced a survey that was disseminated through all active duty field artillery battalions and the

data recorded was alarming. 53 In total, eighteen active duty battalion commanders participated in

the survey and two thirds of these commanders reported that their units served in non-traditional

roles during the unit's last combat rotation. 54 The Commandant of the NCO Academy at the

15

Fires Center of Excellence stated that numerous non-standard missions have caused a critical

atrophy in Field Artillery core competencies. 55 CSM Dean J. Keveles, a respected senior Non­

commissioned officer, charged with the responsibility for training all Field Artillery NCOs, also

noted that on 31 March 2008 General Richard A. Cody, the VCSA, testified before the U.S.

· Senate Armed Services Committee and said, "soldiers are training solely for counter-insurgency

operations and focusing on the mission of the brigade they are replacing in either Iraq or

Afghanistan, and they are not training to full spectrum for other operations."56

These repetitive in lieu of missions have taken a toll on the confidence ofNCOs and

junior Officers alike. NCOs attending professional military education (PME) courses at the U.S.

Army NCO Academy (NCOES) have explained that they are not confident in their core

competencies due to the number of nonstandard deployments and indicated that the current PME

courses sustain skills, but do not allow for rebuilding or competence. 57 Field artillery officers

also indicated in a Rand Study conducted in March 2008 that they were disproportionably less

confident in their ability to perform battle staff functions associated with Field Artillery and fire

support skills in mid to high intensity combat. 58 In the same study, Paladin Batteries (self­

propelled artillery) consistently trended lower in skill proficiency that their sister infantry and

armor units at CTC rotations concluding that 80% of the tasks that were assessed were now

considered at risk when in the past Paladin units were among the premier artillery units and these

tasks were rarely execute poorly. 59 This trend will continue until the demand for ''boots on the

ground" has been satiated and OPTEMPO allows for Field Artillery units to focus once a unit is .

back in RESET. Field Artillery units have been crippled from repetitive deployments conducting

nonstandard missions and are untrained in their core tasks and drills-at both the individual and

collective levels. 60

16

A generation of junior and mid-level officers and NCOs has almost no experience in their FA duties. There are S3 s who executed only nonstandard missions as battery commanders and battery commanders who have never fired and artillery round since their officer basic course. 61

CSM Keveles specifically identifies that the modularity design has removed fire support soldiers

from Field Artillery units and these soldiers and NCOs are cqnducting in lieu of missions as part

of maneuver BCTs.62 He specifically focus on this issue as he writes,

The modularity design ofthe brigade combat teams took fire supporters out of the fires Battalions and placed them into direct assignments within the combined arms Battalions. This reduced the senior FA leaders' oversight of training and skill sustaimnent contributing to increased degradation in the MOS BF Fire Support specialist skill set. In support of maneuver commanders, section chiefs perform platoon sergeant duties, and platoon sergeants perform first serg~ant duties, finding themselves working autonomously on separate forward operating bases (FOBs). 63

Regaining the Throne: The Way Ahead

We are going to do whatever maneuver needs and whatever our Army needs to support them. But we have to make sure that when we come back when we redeploy, that we have to be able to refocus on some·ofthose very core competencies: delivery of lethal fires ·and the integration of lethal and non-lethal fires. As we come back we have to make sure that we get our heads back in the game. B~cause nobody else is pulling lanyards. Nobody else is shooting rockets. It's my guys.64

Major General Peter M. Vangjel (2008)

The demand for "boots on the ground" supporting counter-insurgency operations (COIN)

. . .

in Iraq and Afghanistan, seven years of continuous in lieu of missions, and the US Army's

transformation I modularity have created the "perfect storm" resulting in negative unintended

consequences on the Field Artillery branch ... However, to regain the throne the U.S. Army Field

Artillery must regain its core competencies, work to increase the number of Fire Brigades to one

per division, and restructure the MTOE reconsolidating the fire support element back into the

Fires Battalion. Artillery soldiers, NCOs and Officers alike deserve the time needed to attend

PME tore-blue their core competencies and the PME schools need to shift their focus from

17

polishing I sustaining skills to rebuilding core competencies. However, time is a precious

resource, but the Field Artillery must take this issue to heart and all artillery specific courses

need to be extended to allow for rebuilding core competencies. A recent success story is the

Field Artillery Captain's Career Course (FACCC) which has been redesigned and has extended

the F ACCC from twenty weeks to twenty four weeks. The course was redesigned in 2008

following the white paper ''The King and I" and a survey conducted of the last two 2007 FA CCC

classes which uncovered that two out of three captains reported to the F ACCC that hey had not

performed traditional company-grade FA tasks or basic artillery skills they learned at their FA

basic officer courses. 65 Furthermore, the field artillery also developed a plan in which they

submitted to General WilliamS. Wallace, Commander of Training and Doctrine Command

(TRADOC), allowing the expansion of the NCOES course to allow for the mastery of artillery

skills rather than farniliarization.66 Senior field artillerymen must ensure that young field

artillery NCOs and officers are given the opportunity to relearn their core competencies and then

given the ability to practice, hone, and master their skills once they report to the operational . .

force. Marine Corps Major Michael D. Grice states this best when he writes,

The future of the artillery community lies in the young leaders, at all levels, who are building their basis of experience early in their career. Over 5 years of COIN warfare have taken their toll on the skills of these !fiiillerymen. 67

The current chiefofthe field artillery, Brigadier General Thomas S. Vandal the 48th

Commandant of the U.S. Army Field Artillery School, must spearhead the effort to increase the

number of fires brigades to one per division. Currently, there are six active duty Fires Brigades

to support ten active duty divisions and only the 18th Fires Brigade and the 41st Fires Brigade are

geographically located with a divisional unit. A fires brigade per divisional unit is the optimum

solution to not only win the fight that we are in, but also to create a field artillery community that

18

is ready and relevant for future high intensity conflict (Annex 1).68 According to William A.

Shoffher current commander of the 18th Fires Brigade (Airborne), the fires brigade offers three

general benefits to the maneuver formations within a division: establishment and enforcement of

standards for all firing units; a system for certification; trained leaders to oversee the certification·

program, and an 0-6 level commander to assist in the management and professional

development of artillery leaders. 69 As mentioned in this analytical analysis, a Fires Brigade per ·

division could and would fulfill training readiness and oversight (TRO) once executed by legacy

DN ARTYs. This would place a Department of the Army command selected field artillery 0-6

in charge of training, leading, and mentoring all Field Artillerymen across the division. The fires

brigade commander could then ensure all field artillery battalions were trained to standard across

the division, removing the current responsibility from BCT commanders and ensuring external

evaluations were executed and resourced. Just as important as ensuring that Artillery units are

trained, a fires brigade commander could offer officers and N COs alike the opportunity to move

throughout the division to perform career-enhancing opportunities once possible in legacy

DN ARTY s. If given the opportUnity and responsibility of TRO a Fires Brigade commander

could be the torchbearer ensuring that core competencies are trained insignificant to deployment

cycles and repetitive in lieu of missions. Currently two of the Army's active divisions, the 1st

Cavalry division and the 82nd Airborne Division have formalized their field artillery and fire

support standards in a document known as the REDBOOK.70 This option provides the Army the

flexibility to win the war we are in and have a standing artillery force trained for future HIC.

Furthermore, ten divisionally aligned fires brigades would then increase the opportunity

for field artillerymen to command at the 0-6 level, increasing the opportunity for selection to

general officer. This would also facilitate removing the glass ceiling currently atop the field

19

artillery with only six tactical command opportunities. This would effectively be a 60% increase

in the opportunity to command at the 0-6 tactical level. While ten opportunities to command at

the 0-6 level may seem to be great, one must take into consideration that currently ninety-six

former Battalion conunanders are competing for the six brigade command opportunities.

Without the opportunity to command at the 0-6 level the field artillery will not retain or even

worse not attract the best and the brightest young men to serve as field artillerymen.

Finally, the field artillery must work to correct the MTOE by reconsolidating the fire·

support element back into the fires battalion in the fires brigades. This change would then place

the responsibility back on the fires battalion commander to ensure that the fire support specialists

in the BCT were trained. Furthermore, the fires battalion commander would then be afforded the

opportunity to manage, train, and resource all field artillerymen across the BCT with the TRO of

the fires brigade commander as mentioned above. The legacy system in which all field

artillerymen were assigned to the field artillery battalion provided better trained fire supporters

and the argument that it is beneficial to have fire supporters assigned to maneuver units has be

proven to be false at all the CTCs. The atrophy in these skill sets is not only embarrassing but

has left maneuver units without the ability to maneuver and fire.

Conclusion

In conclusion, the once honed and trained U.S. Anny field artillery that silenced the Iraqi

Army in 2003 is losing its ability to attract and retain the best and brightest soldiers, NCOs, and

officers, train itself, and worst of all has lost the confidence of many maneuver commanders.

Understandably, the field artillery must win the war we are in. In doing so field artillerymen

have selflessly served as truck drivers, civilian police trainers, military police, civil affair

operations, information operations, advising and assisting provincial reconstruction teams

20

basically performing virtually every conceivable mission in support of winning the war we are

in. However, history shows that when states focus their annies on doing nothing but

counterinsurgency and world constabulary missions excluding conventional warfare strategic

failure can result. 71

In summer 2006 in southern Lebanon, the Israeli army suffered a significant battlefield defeat at the hands Hezbollah, who fought with conventional tactics centered on small infantry squads using machineguns, mortars, and anti-tank missiles. Israeli scholar A vi Kober and Army historian Matt Mathews have shown that the Israeli's army's conventional fighting skills had atrophied due to many years of doing almost nothing but counterinsurgency operations in the Palestinian territories. 72

There is more at stake than losing the moniker "The King of Battle", it is losing the

ability to maneuver and fire which in tum allows our Army to validate its existence defending

the American way oflife and winning our nation's war. The American way oflife does not

depend on the field artillery, but the ability to defend the American way oflife does.

21

Endnotes

1 Sean MacFarland, Michael Shields, and Jeffrey Snow, ''White Paper: The King and I: The Impeding Crisis in Field Artillery's ability to provide Fire Support to Maneuver Commander (np:np): memo sent to the Chief of Staff of the Anny, 2007. 1

2 Boyd L. Dastrup, The Field Artillery History and Sourcebook (Westport, CT, Greenwood Press, 1994), 16 ·

3 GeorgeS. Patton, downloaded from, http://www.military­quotes.com/Artillery%20quotes.htm, accessed on 15 December, 2010.

4 Janice E. McKIDney, The Organizational History of the Field Artillery 1775-2003, Center ofMilitaryHistory, United States Army, Washington, DC., 2007.318

5 Ross Ridge, "Commanding General" briefing slides with scripted commentary, Fort Sill, OK, 15 May 2009. 12

6 William G. Pitts, "Overview: Field Artillery in Operation Iraqi Freedom." Field Artillery no. 5, Sep/Oct, 2003, 2-3, http://proquest.umi.com/pqdweb?did==515750731&Fmt=7&clientld=32176&RQT=309&VName =PQD (accessed: January 20, 2010)

7 Julian T. Urquidez and Paul Yingling, "2-18 FA Training the Iraqi Civil Defense Corps," FA Journal, Jan/Feb 2004. Vol. 9, Iss. 1; p. 34

8 Raymond Odierno, "2007 Surge of Ground Forces in Iraq- Risks, Challenges and Successes" interview by Patrecia Slayden Hollis, Fires, (March-April2008), 10

9 Odiemo, "2007 Surge of Ground Forces in Iraq- Risks, Challenges and Successes," 1 0

10 Samuel R. White, "Fires- a Joint Professional Bulletin for U.S. Field and Air Defense Artillerymen. The U.S. Anny Professional Writing Collection.", http://www.anny.mil/professiona1Writing/volumes/volume6/october 2008/10 08 4 pf.html

11 White, "Fires- a Joint Professional Bulletin for U.S. Field and Air Defense Artillerymen. ht1;p://www.army.mil/professiona1Writing/volumes/volume6/october 2008/10 08 4 pf.html

12 Ross Ridge, "The Field Artillery Strategy'', Fires, (September-October 2009), 8

13 MacFarland, Shields, and Snow, "White Paper: The King and I: The Impending Crisis in Field Artillery's ability to provide Fire Support to Maneuver Commanders, 1

14 Ibid, 1

22

15 Gian P. Gentile. "Let's Build an Army to Win all Wars," Joint Forces Quarterly, 1st Quarter 2009, Issue 52: 31

16 United States Department of Defense website: DOD 101: An Introduction Overview of The Department ofDefense: http://www.defense.gov/pubs/dod1011 (accessed 15 January 2011)

17 United States Department ofDefense website: DOD 101: An Introduction Overview of The Department of Defense: http://www.defense.gov/pubs/dod101/ (accessed 08 February 2011)

18 Robert M. Gates, "Striking the Right Balance," Joint Forces Quarterly, 1st Quarter 2009, Issue 52: 3

19 Gates, "Striking the Right Balance," 3

20 Gates, "Striking the Right Balance," 4

21 Gates, "Striking the Right Balance," 4

22 MacFarland, Shields, and Snow, "White Paper: The King and I: The Impending Crisis in Field Artillery's ability to provide Fire Support to Maneuver Commanders, 1.

23 Ibid 1

24 Michael J. Hartig, "The Future of The Field Artillery," USAWC Strategy Research Project AY10, 4

25 Ibid. 4

26 Ross Ridge, "Field Artillery Strategy 2009," July 2009, https://www.us.arrny.mil/suite/portaVindex.jsp (accessed 15 January 2011), 1

27 Ibid. 1

28 Ben Mathews, Field Artillery Branch Brief, 15 DEC 2010, provided to the author by Captain Herman West the future Readiness officer at the Field Artillery branch

29 MacFarland, Shields, and Snow, "White Paper: The King and I: The Impending Crisis in Field Artillery's ability to provide Fire Support to Maneuver Commanders, 2

30 Ben Mathews, Phone interview, 07 February 2011

31 Ross Ridge, "Commanding General" briefing slides with scripted commentary, Fort Sill, OK, 15 May 2009. 6

23

32 Andrew Gainey, Field Artillery Branch LTC Assignment Officer, interview by author, Alexandria, VA, May 17, 2010.

33 Ibid. Interview May 17, 2010

34 William B. Caldwell, "Remarks at the Fires Seminar at Fort Sill, OK, 3 June 2008

35 Thomas E. Ricks, Fiasco (New York: The Penguin Press, 2006) 157

36 Hartig, ''The Future of The Field Artillery," 4

37 MacFarland, Shields, and Snow, "White Paper: The King and I: The Impending Crisis in Field Artillery's ability to provide ~ire Support to Maneuver Commanders, 2

38 Ibid. 1

39J.D. Goodell, ''TTECG Artillery Firing Semi-Annual Incident and Trends Report for exercise Mojave Viper 2008 (J an-Jul)," Naval correspondence Ltr, DTD 31 Aug 2008, to Commanding Officer, Marine Artillery Detachment, Ft Sill,. OK

40 Hartig, ''The Future of the Field Artillery," 7

41 Morris A. Turner, Interview, Army Human Resource Command Maneuver Fires and Effects Division Chief, 07 February 2011

42 James Schwartz, "First Team holds Fire Support Conference," 1 October 2010: http://www.dvidshub.net/news/57337/first-team-holds-fire-support-conference (accessed 15 January 2011)

43 Samuel R. White, "Fires- a Joint Professional Bulletin for U.S. Field and Air Defense Artillerymen. The U.S. Anny Professional Writing Collection.", http://www.anny.mi1'professiona1Writing/volwnes/yolume6/october_2008/10 08 4 pf.htffil

44 Ibid. 1

45 Ibid. 1

46 Ibid. 1

47 MacFarland, Shields, and Snow, "White Paper: The King and I: The Impending Crisis in Field Artillery's ability to provide Fire Support to Maneuver Commanders, 3

48 James P. Inman and Michael J. Gould, "Increasing the Flow, Plugging the Holes­Addressing FA Manning Challenges" Fires. (July-September 2008), 30.

24

49 Noel T. Nicolle, Effects of Modularity on the Field Artillery Branch, USA WC Strategy Research Project A Y 09.

50 United States Army General Officer Public Roster. (1 December 2003).

51 United States Army General Officer Public Roster. (1 December 2008).

52 Michael Grice, "Resuscitating the King, Marine Corps Gazette, (October 2008), 22

53 Daniel C. Gibson, "Counter-Insurgency's Effect on the U.S. Army Field Artillery," USMC Command and Staff College, Quantico, VA, 2010, 8

54 Ibid. 8

55 Dean J. Keveles, "NCOES-Restoring NCO Core Competency," Fires Bulletin (September 2008): 20

56 Ibid. 20

57 Ibid. 20

58 Bryan W. Hallmark, Henry A. Leonard, Laura w. Castaneda, et al. Examining Trends in Sldlls for High- and Mid- Intensity Combat. (Santa Monica, CA: Rand Corporation Study, March 2008) 53

59 Ibid. 63

60 White, "Fires- a Joint Professional Bulletin for U.S. Field and Air Defense Artillerymen. The U.S. Army Professional Writing Collection.," 1

61 Ibid. 1

62 Dean J. Keveles, ''NCOES-Restoring NCO Core Competency," Fires Bulletin (September 2008): 20

63 Ibid. 20

64 Scott R. Gourley, "Return of the King: The Field Artillery Campaign Plan," Anny Magazine. Arlington: September 2008. VOL 58. 9

65 PeterM. Sittenauer, "FACCC: Redesigned for Today and Tomorrow,'' Fires (July­September 2008): 16

66 Keveles, "NCOES-Restoring NCO Core Competency," 20

25

. .. :·

67 Grice, "Resuscitating the King, Maritle Corps Gazette, 22

68 Joseph Harrington, Eleven Fires Brigade Concept, provide to the author from Joseph Harington current commander 75th Fi.res Brigade, 18 February 2011, Slide 1

69 William A. Shoffner, "Fixing Fires: A Proposal for Change in the Field Artillery," White Paper, 17 February 2011, pg. 6, unpublished and provided to the author from LTC Ben Mathews the Field Artillery Branch Chief

70 Shoffner, "Fixing Fires: A Proposal for Change in the Field Artillery," pg. 6

71 Gentile. "Let's Build an Army to Win all Wars," 31

72 Matt M. Mathews, We Were Caught Unprepared: The 2006 Hezbollah-Isreali War, Long War Series Occasional Paper 26 (Fort Leavenworth, K.S: Combat Studies Institute Press, 2008.)

26

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27

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Mathews, Matt M., We Were Caught Unprepared: The 2006 Hezbollah-Isreali War, Long War Series Occasional Paper 26, Fort Leavenworth, KS: Combat Studies Institute Press, 2008.

Moyer, Jeffrey L., FA "MTTs- Resetting FA Core Competencies," Field Artillery Journal (July­September 2008).

Nicolle, Noel., Effects of Modularity on the Field Artillery Branch, USA WC Strategy Research Project AY 09.

Odierno, Raymond ,"2007 Surge of Ground Forces in Iraq- Risks, Challenges and Successes" interview by Patrecia Slayden Hollis, Fires, (March-April2008), 10

Patton, George S ., Downloaded from, http:/ /www.military-quotes.com/artiliery%20quotes.htm, accessed on 15 December, 2010.

Pitts, William G. "Overview: Field Artillery in Operation Iraqi Freedom.'' Field Arti{lery, Sep­Oct, 2003.

Ridge, Ross E .. , "Field Artillery Strategy 2009", 1 July 2009.

Ridge, Ross E., "The Field Artillery Strategy." Fires, September 1, 2009.

Schwartz, James, "First Team holds Fire Support Conference/' 1 October 2010: http://www.dvidshub.net/news/57337/first-team-holds-fire-support-conference (accessed 15 January 2011).

Shoffner, William A. "Fixing Fires: AProposal for Change in the Field Artillery," White Paper, 17 February 2011, unpublished and provided to the author from LTC Ben Mathews the Field Artillery Branch Chief

28

· Sittenauer, Peter M., "F ACCC: Redesigned for Today and Tomorrow," Fires (July-September 2008).

United States Department of Defense website: DOD 101: An Introduction Overview of The Department ofDefense: http://www.defense.gov/pubs/dod101/ (accessed 15 January 2011).

White, Samuel R., ''Fires- a Joint Professional Bulletin for U.S. Field and Air Defense Artillerymen. The U.S. Army Professional Writing Collection." http://www.army.mil/professionalWriting/volumes/volume6/october 2008/10 08 4 pf.html

Whiteside, DanielL. "It's a Dumb Idea-Don't Slash the U.S. Army's Field Artillery." Armed Forces Journal (December 2003).

Yingling, Paul and Urquidez, Julian T. "2-18 FA Training the Iraqi Civil Defense Corps," FA Journal, Jan/Feb 2004. Vol. 9, Iss. 1; p. 34

29

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X X

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II

0 (\") 0).

0.

2 Armored Divisions

XX

Provided by: COL Joseph Har~ington

\ Proposed AC FiB Set

8 Infantry Divisions

FCoE FABNs Can be second

' commands

XX

.P9 3-1

Pros· • Enables alll 0 AC Divisions

• .Ensures training of the Fires force

• Provides FA CMlJ·oversight ofBn Certification Progran1s

• f FA 0-6 Commands (+5)

• j BDE-level CDR to DIV CD.R

• j Sr Mentorship for Bn CIJRs

• Provides FCoE Strategic Fires Capability

• FCoE Fires BDE (Army's GS/GSR swing capability; 2d · command for FA.Q5s- bringsbest

· & brightest IJIV ideas to FCoE)

• . Better positions FA force against . budgetary/persoimel cuts

Provided by: COL Joseph Harrington

Impact of 1 0+ 1 FiBs

·Cons • FiB tied to Division

• t FA authorizations

• . j BSB/Sig Co authorizations

• · Smaller 0-6 CMD (l.FA BN vs. 3)

• t FA0-5 Comn1ands (-3) ·,

• , Force Mod/ DA-level Structure

• BRAC issues at: FortRlley Fort·· stewart

· - Fort Carson · Fort Dtum

- Fort Campbell.· Fort Sill

• Movement away from Status Quo

pg 32·